Are you in control?
Jul 03, 2020I’m not saying you need to be a control freak to be successful.
Obviously, a strong need to control everything can be detrimental too.
But some level of feeling in control is v important when it comes to motivation and goal achievement 🏆
Within the INT to EXT continuum lies a sense of control.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 (𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻) = 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀
This ties back to a couple posts ago (SDT part 1) about basic psychological needs: autonomy and competence.
Your motivations can feel CONTROLLED by external factors or SELF-DETERMINED by your own choices, and this is distinction in your motivation can make a massive difference.
📊 Research examples:
When motivation to lose weight is mainly driven by controlled factors (e.g. “I want others to see that I am trying to lose weight”) – women are significantly more likely to have poor body image and lower self-esteem in the process (Carraça et al., 2011)
Healthy eating behaviors are also affected by sense of control.
Otis & Pelletier (2008) found that women who are more self-determined/autonomous tend to use an APPROACH style for eating (e.g. planning in advance to eat healthier)
But those who are more motivated by controlled reasons, tend to use an AVOIDANCE style for eating (e.g. avoiding certain kinds of foods)
This matters because approach eating styles (self-determined motivation) is POSITIVELY associated with healthy eating behaviors 📈
But avoidance styles (controlled motivation) is NEGATIVELY associated 📉
This is the final part of my SDT series - if you want more, make sure you sign up for the emails & waitlist for the Health Mindset Coaching Certification 🤓
MAIN TAKEAWAY:
If you have a health and fitness goal in mind, the more your behaviors are endorsed by a sense of choice (autonomy/self-determination) the better off, and more successful, you will be.
